1. Field of the Invention
The present disclosure relates to electric power generation for vehicles. More particularly, the present disclosure relates to wind turbines mounted on the roof top of a moving vehicle for converting the vehicle generated wind energy into electricity for storage in a battery system or use by the vehicle.
2. Background of the Invention
Moving automobiles feature localized winds around the auto body that are the result the car's movement relative to the air. Said localized winds possess energy that is lost whenever the wind dissipates. Accordingly, there is a need for apparatus and methods of capturing the energy of the localized wind prior to its dissipation.
Wind energy can be captured via its conversion to electricity. Producing electricity from wind can be accomplished by impacting the blades of a turbine with wind to turn the armature shaft of an electricity generator. For example, turbines and generators have been mounted on towers in areas known to have high winds so that the winds can turn the turbines and thereby produce electricity. One challenge of using a turbine to capture the localized winds of an automobile for producing electricity is that the production of electricity from wind impacting a turbine can be affected by the quantity and quality of the wind. For instance, a specific amount of wind must be received by a turbine at, or above, a specific velocity to overcome the friction associated with turning the turbine. Thus, wind turbines are (1) usually very large (e.g., blade or rotor diameter in the range of 100 ft. to 150 ft.) to capture a large quantity of wind at once, or (2) placed on towers in order to catch the high velocity winds which travel at high altitudes. The turbine size and high altitude placement present challenges in terms of capturing the energy of localized winds around a moving auto body.
Despite the above challenges, interest in producing electricity from localized wind around an auto body remains since the captured energy could be used as a power source for the moving automobile whereby its fuel efficiency or battery life is increased. Such electricity production is particularly of interest in the United States since the U.S. government has requested that the automobile industry produce more fuel efficient plug-in hybrid electric vehicles (PHEV) that can either partly or completely run on electric battery with zero emission in order to reduce greenhouse emissions and dependence on imported fossil fuels. Thus, many have tried to provide electric power to hybrid electric cars or trucks from a wind turbine. Consider the following examples: U.S. Pat. No. 6,897,575 B1, “Portable Wind Power Apparatus For Electric Vehicles” issued May 24, 2005, illustrates a car top wind generator; U.S. Pat. No. 6,857,492 B1, “Airflow Driven Electrical Generator For Moving Vehicle” issued Feb. 22, 2005, describes air intake vents mounted on the front grill and roof top of a moving vehicle for generating the electric power; U.S. Pat. No. 6,838,782 B2, “Wind Energy Capturing Device For Moving Vehicles” issued Jan. 4, 2005, describes a wind turbine affixed to the roof of truck. U.S. Pat. No. 7,135,786 B1, “Wind Driven Generator For Powered Vehicle” issued Nov. 14, 2006, describes a wind turbine affixed to the top of vehicle; U.S. Pat. No. 7,339,286 B1, “Portable Wind Power Generator” issued Mar. 4, 2008, describes a portable wind power capable of being placed in a storage case; U.S. Pat. No. 7,294,939 B1, “Folding Portable Wind-power Electricity Generating Apparatus” issued Nov. 13, 2007, describes a portable wind turbine generator at the top of car; U.S. Pat. No. 7,211,905 B1, “Vehicle-mountable Generator” issued May 1, 2007, describes a wind powered generator on top of a moving vehicle; U.S. Pat. No. 7,176,584 B1, “Wind Power Apparatus” issued Feb. 13, 2007, describes a wind powered turbine with generator to produce electricity; and, U.S. Pat. No. 7,358,623 B2, “Generator” describes a wind powered generator for producing electric current. All the above mentioned approaches to capturing localized winds about a moving auto body are inadequate because, among other things, they require wind capturing apparatus with complicated moving parts and housings. Accordingly, there is a need for portable devices for capturing the localized wind around a moving auto body that are simple and inexpensive.